A GREEN BUILDING REQUIRES NOT JUST PROPER DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION BUT ALSO PROPER OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE. A DOSSIER REPORT
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here is growing acceptance that buildings need to be energy efficient, they should save water and be HSE (health, safety and environment) compliant. Such building are called – Green buildings and it refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle: from conception to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. This requires close cooperation of the design team, the architects, the engineers, and the client at all project stages. The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.
acres of land in the United States is developed. The International Energy Agency released a publication that estimated that existing buildings are responsible for more than 40 per cent of the world’s total primary energy consumption and for 24 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:
An approval was sought in 2009 and by the following year, the tender was ready. The environmentally friendly building has used techniques that will promote awareness on low energy consumption in people’s minds. Unlike normal buildings where water goes into an exchanger to get cooled, the green building will have pipes for chilled water running between the false and the main roofs.
• Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources • Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity • Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation • A similar concept is natural building, which is usually on a smaller scale and tends to focus on the use of natural materials that are available locally. Green building practices aim to reduce the environmental impact of buildings, and the very first rule is, do not build in sprawl (spreading in disordered fashion). No matter how much grass you put on your roof, no matter how many energy-efficient windows, etc., you use, if you build in sprawl, you’ve just defeated your purpose. Buildings account for a large amount of land. According to the National Resources Inventory, approximately 107 million
A FIRST STEP Oman has taken another step towards fighting global warming with its first green building, coming up in Sohar next to the Globe Roundabout. This fivestoreyed 3,000sq m building, with 600sq m on each floor, will utilise concepts and methods that will conserve energy. The building is being built by Majan Electricity Company (MJEC) which had been planning to build an energy efficient main office since 2008.
Thermal insulation, 50kW of solar power generation, recovery of waste water, natural lighting and building orientation where the major sections of the building face away from the sun and thereby reduce heat absorption, are part of the green initiative. Double concrete walls and double glassing with insulation on the roofs will keep the building cool, saving 15 per cent of power consumption. Pipes carrying cold water will run between the concrete roof and the false ceiling, covering every room to create a cushion of cool air as thermal storage for extreme heat. The 50kW solar panels will help generate power for electrical devices. Fifty per cent of the building is double